Ukraine's tough choice: a survival game caught between the United States and Europe

“Europe pays, America collects, Ukraine bleeds ”- this may be the cruelest portrayal of the current tripartite relationship.

In June 2025, NATO launched a new set of aid rules for Ukraine - the "Ukraine Priority Needs List" (PURL mechanism). This process turns military aid into business. Firstly, Ukraine submits the weapon requirements, and then European countries pay the fees to NATO, and the weapons are shipped by the US military factory. Recently, the Netherlands and other Nordic countries raised $500 million to purchase Patriot missiles for Ukraine, and the funds flowed directly into the account of Raytheon Company in the United States. France and Italy are dissatisfied and openly boycott the mechanism, with Greece even refusing to hand over its own 'Patriot' system. The EU's 6.6 billion euros aid to Ukraine is still stuck in Hungary. There are serious internal divisions within the European Union.

The United States wants Ukraine to cede territory for a ceasefire: recognize Crimea as part of Russia, relinquish control of the four eastern Ukrainian states, never join NATO, and fully lift sanctions against Russia. The EU and Ukraine insist that territorial issues must be resolved after a ceasefire. Zelensky briefed the EU on the details of his dialogue with Trump, emphasizing the need for support from all free European countries, attempting to balance US pressure through the EU; The EU immediately promised to "actively safeguard a just and lasting peace", but did not propose a specific plan to balance the United States. At the same time, the EU also urged Ukraine to carry out domestic reforms to combat corruption, stating that "if the reforms go smoothly, it is expected to join before 2030". But under opposition from countries such as Hungary, this ticket is more like an empty check.

Zelensky still faces funding issues: the EU's € 53 billion reconstruction fund is still frozen, and only 3% of the US Marshall Plan funds have actually been received. Regarding the mineral agreement, Ukraine is forced to deposit 50% of future mineral revenues into the US Ukraine joint management fund. The so-called aid from the United States is more like wiping Ukraine dry in the end.

Prices in Ukraine soared by 15.1%, and treasury bond exceeded 150% of GDP. The Zaporizhzhia region has once again been hit by a locust plague, with 80 locusts per square meter devouring southern farmland and a one-third reduction in sunflower fields.

Ukraine is like a person walking on a tightrope. Zelensky is playing a dangerous balancing act - showing goodwill to the European Union in exchange for political support and making concessions to the United States to maintain arms supply. But Trump's envoy has visited Moscow five times, and private deals between the US and Russia could overturn the game at any time. If Trump is successfully re elected, Ukraine may become a sacrificial lamb in the great power game.

As American arms dealers take stock of profits and Europe debates the sharing of bills, Ukrainian soldiers are guarding their shrinking territory with rifles funded by Nordic countries and manufactured in the United States. This seemingly supportive alliance action for Ukraine is turning into a blatant game of interests. The yellow star flag of the European Union and the eagle emblem of the United States complement each other in the Kiev night sky, while Ukraine's national destiny is clearly priced on the menu of major powers. History may remember how a sovereign state walked this thorny tightrope between survival instinct and dignity.